Early life

Tony Collins was born in Kensington, London, on 19 March 1926 to a 17-year-old unmarried white mother. His father, who was black, wasn't named on the birth certificate. Collins was adopted by his maternal grandparents and grew up in the Portobello Road area. A promising schoolboy footballer, he played for local club Acton United and was due to sign for Brentford until he was called up for military service during the Second World War.[1]

Playing career

During his three years of wartime service stationed in Padua, Italy, Collins was spotted in Army football matches and recommended to Sheffield Wednesday. After being demobbed and returning to England, he signed for Wednesday in November 1947, but didn't make any first team appearances. He made his Football League debut for York City in the Third Division North after joining them in July 1949, and was then transferred to Watford in August 1950. While at Watford, Collins was linked with a representative call-up after being watched by a selector from The Football Association, and the club chairman was quoted as saying in response to transfer speculation, "£12,000 won't buy him".[2]

After Watford, Collins joined Norwich City in 1953 and then Torquay United in 1955. He briefly returned to Watford in 1957 before signing for Crystal Palace later that year; he was the first black player to appear for Palace.[3] He joined his final club as a player, Rochdale, in June 1959. In total, Collins made 333 Football League appearances, scoring 47 goals, before retiring in 1961.

Management and scouting career

At the end of Collins' first season at Rochdale, manager Jack Marshall left the club to join Blackburn Rovers. After being encouraged by his teammates to apply for the post, Collins was appointed as player-manager of the Fourth Division club in June 1960. He was the first non-white manager of a Football League club.[4][5] In his second season, Rochdale reached the League Cup Final, only to lose 4–0 on aggregate to Second Division Norwich City.[6] it remains the club's only appearance in a major final, and one of only two EFL Cup final appearances by a fourth-tier side. Despite this achievement, Collins failed to attract interest in his services from larger clubs. Gradually tiring of the demands the job placed on his time and family life, he resigned in September 1967.

Legacy

Keith Alexander, who became Lincoln City manager in 1993, was often described as the first black manager in the Football League, until Tony Collins' achievements became more widely reported. Although, non-white players were a rarity in English football during his era, contemporary reports made few references to his colour, and Collins himself says he wasn't affected by prejudice. His appointment at Rochdale also attracted little attention at the time, save for one report which described the new manager as "a coloured boy" and quoted the club chairman as saying that Collins' colour wasn't an issue in choosing him.